In the Western world, we are mostly isolated from the deadly effect of the AIDS virus. Those who have it usually don't make much publicity for themselves, and some hide it completely. In Africa, however, the disease is a plague that is slowly killing off their population. It makes orphans of children who then starve to death; it cripples food production as farmers are too sick to properly harvest the land. ...

Karen Armstrong is a brilliant woman, and her books on God are both highly interesting and profoundly insightful. I must admit, however, that as studies of religion have progressed, her focus has centered on compassion. She views this notion as universal, and believes the best elements of religion can be enhanced when the focus is placed on compassion rather than dogma. It's a nice notion, but it ignores th ...

I found this link and thought some of you might be interested in it. It's a detailed list of police raids that have caused the deaths of innocent people, or resulted in other similar tragedies. Although the CATO institute is a bit too libertarian for my taste (including their reverence for total 'laissez faire' capitalism), they nevertheless are a watchdog for abuse of power in government. Here's a few exam ...

I used to be a huge online dater. Let's just say it was insane enough that in the span of 2 years, I went on over 150 dates. So when I say I'm an online dating expert, I'm not joking. I tried out every major dating site, but the one I purposely avoided was eHarmony. I generally found their philosophy of being able to 'pair' people up was deeply flawed, and at the heart of it, they have extremely conservativ ...

I'm a big Shermer fan. I've read all his books, and apart from the fact his voice sounds like he has a giant phlegm ball, he's awesome. If I had the money, I would definitely subscribe to Skeptic Magazine, but alas... The video is hard to watch if you know anything about evolution. This woman is literally trying to find a way to explain why harmful pathogens existed before the 'fall' of Adam and Eve. It's t ...

I don't pay attention to World Net Daily, mostly because the people who write for it are religious scumbags who wouldn't hesitate to transform the world into a Christian Theocracy. Now they are outraged at Hasbro's online version of 'The Game of Life' which allows same sex marriages. It was too much for one woman to bear, apparently: "You know how kids are," the mother told WND. "My daughter noticed right a ...

In my own life, I have always sought out issues that are controversial. It's no secret I'm a highly opinionated individual; I've chosen to take a stand on issues I consider to be of fundamental importance. I know there are many out there, even some of my fans, who consider the issue of a person's religion to be a private affair. One fan accused me of being insensitive by 'outing' my sister on my radio show, ...

It's a shame I have to report this, since I am generally a fan of this magazine. However, the publication recently pulled an article from its site due to a complaint, and so I feel compelled to say something. The article in question was a simple piece: how to spot a creationist agenda. It was summarily pulled due to complaints, made supposedly by the very creationists the article was trying to expose. P.Z M ...

Ryan and I sometimes joke around that as attitudes about drug prohibitionism soften, others harden in a predictable, reactionary way. What isn't funny is when it turns into an overzealous cop who guns down a college kid during a bullshit 'drug bust'. Derek Copp (kind of an ironic name) is usually described by friends as an easy going 'hippie' who is friendly, nonchalant, and most obviously likes to smoke po ...

Turkey is a strange country. In the 1920s, a military commander, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, started the Turkish national movement after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and formed the country now known as Turkey. He made special provisions to make the country secular, in order to prevent the Islamic church from wrestling control away from him. Like in the United States, the population is highly religious, and ...